Common Name: Claw-flowered Laurel

General Information

Acronychia pedunculata is an evergreen plant that can range in size from a small shrub to a large tree up to 30 metres tall[]. In larger specimens the bole can be 50cm in diameter and unbranched for more than 20 metres[].
The plant is gathered from the wild and used locally as a food flavouring, medicine, and for various other purposes[].

Known Hazards

The roots are said to be used to stupefy fish[]. This is likely to be due to the presence of saponins[].

Botanical References

Range

E. Asia - southern China, Indian subcontinent, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, New Guinea.

Habitat

Secondary forests, woods or thickets on lower hills; at elevations from near sea level to 900 metres[]. Dense, evergreen forest[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	15.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

The white flowers are fragrant[].

Edible Uses

The young leaves are used as a condiment[, ].

Fruit[]. The fruit is a pale yellow, globose drupe, around 5 - 15mm in diameter, the mesocarp is woody or subwoody[]

Medicinal

A decoction of the roots, bark and leaves is used to treat scabies, sores, ulcers, and a variety of stomach diseases[].

The roots are used in the treatment of rheumatism, lumbago, pain in the limbs, post-partum blood stasis, furunculosis, impetigo and snake-bite. The dosage is 8 to 20g per day, in the form ofa decoction or elixir[].

The torrefied roots or leaves are effective as a stomachic for the treatment of dyspepsia in parturients in a daily dose of 6 to 12g as a decoction[].
A poultice made of heated leaves and a wash with a decoction of the trunk bark are useful for treating furunculosis and impetigo[].

The roots, twigs, stem bark and leaves are collected throughout the year. The plants are pulled up, stripped of rootlets, carefully washed and sliced. Selected leaves, not worm-eaten or withered, are sun-dried or heat-dried. The stem bark is used only externally[].

Other Uses

The leaves are put in stimulating baths[]. This is probably due to the action of an essential oil[].
The crushed leaves and fruits have a citrus smell. A fragrant oil from the stem and leaves is used in cosmetic perfumery[].

The bark is used for caulking boats and toughening nets[].

The wood is occasionally used in construction[].
The wood is sometimes used to make charcoal[].

Propagation

Seed -

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